Static and fatigue investigation of second generation steel-free bridge decks

This paper outlines the static and fatigue behavior of two different cast-in-place second generation steel-free bridge decks. Although cast monolithically, the first bridge deck was divided into three segments. The first segment was reinforced according to conventional design with steel reinforcement. The other two segments were both steel-free designs with internal crack control grids, one comprised of CFRP, and the other with GFRP. The hybrid CFRP/GFRP and steel strap design is called the second generation of the steel-free concrete bridge deck. The hybrid system reduces the development of longitudinal crack width and eliminates corrosion in the deck. All three segments were tested under a 25 ton and 60 ton cyclic load to investigate fatigue behavior. The second bridge deck is comprised of an internal panel and two cantilevers and incorporates a complete civionics system [Klowak C, Mufti A. Implementation of civionics in a second generation steel-free bridge deck. In: Proceedings of the 33rd annual general conference of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. Toronto, Ont., June 2–4, 2005]. The static test outlined in this paper is useful in the development of fatigue theory derived from the fatigue testing of the first bridge deck.